The Party of Jim Crow never left.

By M.A. Rothman 

There is a story modern Democrats love to tell about themselves: that they are the party of civil rights, that the racism in America somehow lives over on the other side, and that the past was washed clean by some unspecified moment of conversion. None of it is true.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.

The receipts go back further than the Republican Party even existed.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

The Democratic Party was founded in 1828 by Andrew Jackson, who signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 and forced 16,000 Cherokee onto the Trail of Tears (Library of Congress).

The 1860 Democratic platform endorsed slavery. The Republican Party was founded in 1854 specifically to stop slavery’s expansion. The Confederacy was Democratic, top to bottom.

After the Civil War, six Confederate veterans founded the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennessee. Every one of them was a Democrat. Their explicit mission was m∗rdering newly enfranchised Black Republicans. KKK violence during Reconstruction k!lled thousands of Black Americans and their white Republican allies (Equal Justice Initiative, 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢).

In 1898, an armed Democratic mob overthrew the elected biracial Republican government of Wilmington, North Carolina, k!lling as many as 250 Black residents. It remains the only successful coup d’état in American history. Every perpetrator was a Democrat.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

In 1913, Democratic President Woodrow Wilson resegregated the federal government, which had been integrated under Republicans since Reconstruction. He hosted a private White House screening of 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, the silent film glorifying the KKK (Smithsonian Magazine).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐫𝐚

Every prominent segregationist governor was a Democrat.

George Wallace: 𝘴𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. Lester Maddox of Georgia, who chased Black customers from his restaurant with axe handles. Orval Faubus of Arkansas, who used the National Guard to block the Little Rock Nine. Bull Connor of Birmingham, who turned fire hoses and police dogs on schoolchildren.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐞

On the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the vote breakdown was 𝟖𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫 versus 𝟔𝟑% 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐬. In the Senate: Republicans 27-6 in favor, Democrats 46-21 (Office of the Historian, U.S. House). The bill could not have passed without Republicans overriding the Democratic filibuster led by Senator Robert Byrd.

That same Robert Byrd was a former Exalted Cyclops of the KKK. In 1944 he wrote: «𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘰 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘴» (Byrd letter, 1944).

He served as Senate Democratic Majority Leader. He died a Democratic Senator in 2010. Hillary Clinton called him «𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳.» Joe Biden eulogized him.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐞

Joe Biden in 1977 warned the Senate that integration would turn his children’s generation into «𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦» (Congressional Record).

Biden in 2003 eulogized segregationist Strom Thurmond as «𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥.»

Biden in 2007 on Barack Obama: «𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯-𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘺.»

Biden in 2019, in Iowa, on tape: «𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴.»

Biden in 2020 to Charlamagne tha God: «𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘪𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬» (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘭𝘶𝘣).

Biden in 2020 on Latinos: «𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯-𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.» An explicit claim that Black Americans are monolithic in a way Latinos are not (NPR).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬

When a Black American does not vote Democrat, the entire ideological apparatus of American liberalism turns on them in language no Republican would dare use.

Justice Clarence Thomas, the second Black Justice in Supreme Court history, has been called «Uncle Tom,» «house slave,» and «race traitor» by mainstream Democratic commentators for thirty years running.

The 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 in August 2021 published a column calling Larry Elder «𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺» because he ran for governor of California as a Republican (LA Times, Erika D. Smith).

Joy Behar, on Tim Scott’s 2023 presidential announcement: «𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴» (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘦𝘸).

When Tim Scott delivered the Republican response to Biden in 2021, «Uncle Tim» trended on Twitter for hours. The platform declined to remove it.

When Kanye West wore a MAGA hat in 2018, every major outlet questioned his sanity. When Winsome Sears was elected the first Black woman Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2021, network coverage was a fraction of what greeted Stacey Abrams losing her race.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐫𝐲

In July 2020 the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture published a chart titled «Aspects and Assumptions of Whiteness in the United States» listing under «white culture»: rational thinking, the nuclear family, the Protestant work ethic, hard work, self-reliance, «objective, rational linear thinking,» planning for the future, and being on time (Smithsonian, removed after backlash).

The implicit argument: Black Americans cannot be expected to do these things.

The same year, the Oregon Department of Education promoted a teaching guide claiming that asking math students to show their work is «white supremacy culture» (Oregon DOE, 𝘈 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯).

The argument that voter ID is racist rests on the explicit assumption that Black Americans are uniquely incapable of obtaining a driver’s license. 𝟖𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐃 (Gallup, 2022).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐬

In 2023 the Supreme Court ruled in 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘈𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘷. 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 that Harvard had been illegally discriminating against Asian-American applicants by giving them systematically lower «personal scores» — rating them as less likable, less courageous, and less kind despite higher test scores and grades (SCOTUS, 2023).

This was the policy of the most progressive university in America, defended by every Democratic justice on the court.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio attempted to dismantle the entrance exams for elite specialized high schools — explicitly because too many Asian students were getting in. The same equity logic has gutted gifted-and-talented programs in San Francisco, Boston, and Fairfax County, Virginia.

And then there is Hung Cao.

A Vietnamese refugee. A combat-deployed Naval Academy graduate. A bomb-disposal officer. A surface warfare commander. The man who led the team that recovered John F. Kennedy Jr.’s aircraft from the Atlantic Ocean. The first Vietnamese-American to lead the United States Navy.

The Democratic Party’s official institutional account looked at all of that and decided his height was the funny part.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧

The pattern is consistent across two centuries.

The Democratic Party is comfortable with Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans who agree with it. The instant they do not, the language gets ugly fast.

A Black conservative becomes an «Uncle Tom,» a «house slave,» a «race traitor,» a «white supremacist.» A Latina Republican is not really Latina. An Asian-American with high test scores is a threat to equity who must be docked points on «personal» grounds. An Asian-American refugee Navy Captain who runs the entire Navy is a punchline about being short.

This is the same instinct that horsewhipped abolitionist Republicans in the 1850s, lynched Black voters in the 1890s, fire-hosed schoolchildren in the 1960s, called a sitting Black senator a «white supremacist» in the 2020s, and mocked a 5’8″ Vietnamese-American war veteran from the official party account in 2026.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐝.

The party that founded the KKK did not change its soul. It changed its vocabulary.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧.